The thick spring air presses down on Noodle as she lies on the floor of the rooftop garden. Wisps of clouds move at a steady pace across the stars in the ever so swift breeze. Down in the belly of the new Kong Studios, her three bandmates are trying to lay the foundation of their new album. Tomorrow will be another day of hard work as they begin to hash out ideas. They have just begun, and they are slowly synchronizing their creative processes again. After the events of Plastic Beach and their brief separation, Noodle had returned the same way she had arrived when she first joined the band. Despite the events of the past, it seems that all of the band members have grown and moved on from their experiences. Murdoc isn't as manipulative as he once was, though she is still keeping an eye on him. Russel's time as a prisoner took little time to heal as he was more than happy to just be among friends and eating hearty meals once again.

2-D seems to have walked through hellish trauma only to end up in paradise, and it was difficult for Murdoc's driver to return him to Kong Studios while he had fun on an island resort. Now that they are all together, for the first time a feeling of normalcy has washed over their lives. Though one thing has been bothering her, Murdoc seems excited to make a new album, though she cannot understand why she feels this way, for now, it is just in the corner of her mind. As it passes by on her train of thought, it's cast aside by the sudden sound of the glass door sliding open and then closed again.

Noodle opens her eyes and sits up on her elbows to see 2-D staring at her with a blank expression. A cigarette hangs from his mouth and he is fumbling with a white lighter in his hand. "Hey Noodle," 2-D said, breaking his stare to light his cigarette. Noodle stood and closed the distance between them before holding her hand out and saying, "Spare me a ciggy?" 2-D smiled at her attempt to use his slang, and quickly she is given what she asked for. As a further extension of his politeness, 2-D lights the cigarette and they sit together with their legs crossed and facing each other.

"How's it been going since I went on a break?" Noodle asks, flicking ashes into one of the empty liquor bottles strewn about the garden. It sits between them and serves as an ashtray. 2-D takes a long drag.

"No more blustering and grumbling than when you left, ha! You haven't missed much if I'm honest." 2-D takes his turn to flick his ashes into the bottle and nearly knocks it over in the process. He catches it after a near miss, and Noodle giggles, "You haven't changed much it seems, you're still as clumsy as ever!" 2-D chuckles and scratches his chin.

Their amusement dies down and is followed by a moment of silence as both puff on their smokes. Noodle speaks once more, "You look well, 2-D. I'm glad." 2-D smiles and waves away the compliment, "Ah, my time spent in Guadalupe did some good for me, I haven't felt better since before I met Murdoc!"

Noodle and Rusell had long tried to keep 2-D from being a depressed and disheveled mess. But it seems, in the end, he didn't need their help at all, only a moment to be solely by himself.

"And you're one to talk! When you showed up in the crate like you did before it seems that our Noodle has become a whole new person!" 2-D's hands shake about with excitement, and Noodle is flattered by his compliments.

"I suppose we are all in a better place now, it's good to be happy!" she says, and 2-D nods happily. Several more minutes of conversing go by before Russel enters the room adjacent to the garden and stops on the track of the sliding door. "Murdoc went to bed, said he didn't want to wait on ya'll any longer. It's already pretty late so I'mma go to bed too. Sleep tight you two, and try not to stay up all night. Not that Murdoc will be up early!" Russel laughs, and the pair wish him goodnight before he leaves them alone again.

"He's right, it is late," Noodle's cigarette butt dies with a sizzle in the little bit of liquor and backwash left at the bottom of the bottle. 2-D takes two more puffs before disposing of his as well and they stand together. They walk back into Kong Studios and down the hall, stopping at Noodle's room. She stops halfway through the door and gets 2-D's attention as he is turning away, "2-D," he turns to her, "it was good to talk with you." 2-D smiles and scratches the back of his head, "It was, I missed you the most, ya know." His kind words made her smile. "Goodnight, 2-D."

The door is closed, and 2-D makes his way to his room as Noodle falls back onto her bed, happy to be back with her friends. In his room 2-D sits next to his window, listening to a sweet and slow melody as he stares out on his view of Essex. With a yawn, he thinks to himself that tonight it will be a little bit easier to sleep.

Meanwhile, as Rusell sleeps soundly with resonating snores, Murdoc tosses, and turns, the fear of not finishing this new album on time is already stressing his brain even though they have just begun. He most certainly does not want to return to his imprisonment, and he has found himself counting on the people he has hurt the most. He cannot risk angering them, and so far has been nicer than he ever would have dreamed of being. Oddly, it doesn't feel as tortuous as he thought it would, and it almost feels good to have everyone back again. He turns over violently at this thought, grumbling to himself, "Sodding Insomnia, it's gonna drive me crazy!" he throws off his blanket and gets out of bed. From a cabinet on the wall, he takes a bottle of whiskey and pulls off the cork with his teeth. He sucks down three large gulps and sighs with satisfaction. With his hand in his underwear scratching his ass, he walks over to the window and rubs a circle in the fog. Staring out at the lights, he tries to find consolation in his momentary freedom and takes another drink.

It is 9:30 when the band is assembled in their hazy studio room. Noodle sits in one of the two office chairs tuning her instrument, as Murdoc fruitlessly tries to light his empty lighter. With an angry grunt, he throws it to the ground and turns to 2-D, "Hey! Gimme your lighter!" 2-D nearly drops his keyboard as he jumps in surprise, and then scrambles to get his lighter from his pocket. Before he can Russel bounces his own off of Murdoc's chest and he catches it in his hand. Now Murdoc lets out a satisfied sigh as the smoke exits his lungs, "Much better."

"Right, let's get crackin on this new album, yeah?"